The Costa Rica Ministry of Environment resolved a nullity appeal that was presented by the Costa Rican Federation for the Conservation of the Environment (FECON) and in this way puts a stop to the pineapple plantation project Hacienda Doña Victoria that intended to use close to 500 hectares of land located between Palmar Sur and Olla Cero in Buenos Aires, Puntarenas and that could have potential negative effects in the neighboring Terraba-Sierpe Wetlands.

Environmentalists argued that the National Technical Environmental Secretariat (Secretaría Técnica Nacional Ambiental, Setena) granted a permit to the project of Corporation Agricola del Monte S.A.-Pindeco without taking into consideration all the legal requirements that are needed for these type of projects which put the Terraba-Sierpe wetlands at risk.

The project is located only 5 kilometers from the central area of theTerraba-Sierpe Wetlands and therefore represents an environmental threat due to the agrochemicals used in pineapple plantations, the project also presents a potential threat to four archeological sites: Finca 6, Batambal, Grijalba and El Silencio (Valle del Diquis), area known for its stone spheres and which was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity sites by UNESCO

The Terraba-Sierpe Wetland is a protected area, and declared since 1995 a Ramsar site, which means, wetlands considered of international importance for conservation due to their ecological and biological importance. It is also the biggest estuary in Costa Rica.

The Minister of Environment, Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, explained that if the corporation wishes to apply again to obtain the necessary permits it will have to start the process from scratch. However, he warned that their request would likely be turned down again since the reasons considered to reject the viability of the project are related to the content of the project and not its form.

Apparently, according to FECON, SETENA disregarded that within the property where the project was going to take place there are 80 hectares of wetlands, 64 hectares of forests and archaeological sites.

Wetlands are a very important part of our environment, their impact in our daily lives involve reducing the impacts of floods, helping deal with pollution, improving water quality, among many other things.

The last study of the State of the Nation showed Costa Rica has 3,824 hectares of pineapple plantations within the North Border Corridor, Wildlife Refuges Maquenque and Barra del Colorado, it also shows that pineapple companies have invaded 16,324 hectares of protected wetlands.

World Resources Institute places Costa Rica as the biggest consumer of chemical pesticides in agriculture; according to a study by the National University the country uses in average 18.2 kilograms of pesticides per hectare of food crops.
Many of the pesticides used in the country have been associated to environmental risks and health problems.